Sewing

Autumn Flag Banner Tutorial + Front Porch Makeover

Autumn is right around the corner and we could not wait to get started decorating! With 14 days left until fall we are a little early, but anything to get our minds off this heat is worth it!
The project started off as a fall flag banner for the fireplace, however, after some thought, I decided to use it to decorate our front porch- the front porch that has never been decorated in the 2 years that we have lived here.

I have always wanted to have the decorating skills that are plastered all over pinterest. In truth, I have never been much of a decorator- leaving most of the work to my husband who has a talent for decorating that obviously exceeds my own. Today, however, the kids and I attempted (and succeeded) in making a very festive fall flag banner. We searched high and low for unused objects in the house to use for the fall porch makeover. We were able to use 2 black vases, our original doormat, a small pedestal, and three pumpkins. The rest we went to find at Hobby Lobby and Lowes.

At Hobby Lobby, we found fabric and hemp rope for the Autumn Flag Banner, 8 decorative flowers, 1 flower bunch for the wreath, a basic natural grapevine wreath, a bronze initial, and a side table on sale.

Autumn Flag Tutorial:

So, I know there are a million fall flag banner tutorials out there, but the method of using Heat n’ Bond for the letters and sewing for the actual flag is my favorite. Alternatively, you can use the Heat n’ Bond for the flag as well, however, the below instructions include sewing.

Fabric colors for 8 flags ( I used 5 colors in 1/8 yard each)

Muslin Fabric in 1/2 yard

Black Fabric for letters in 1/8 yard

Hemp Rope

Heat n’ Bond

Printer

Sewing Machine (if stitching)

Print out the flag template from www.flairytale.com found here. I resized it to fit an 8×11 sheet of paper to make a 10×7.5 inch triangle. I then printed out the letters to spell “autumn” in the font: Script MT Bold 350pt.

Using the template, cut out the fabric into 8 flags of your color choice, and 8 more in the muslin. Set aside.

Trace the letters backwards or mirror image onto the Heat n’ Bond paper side. Once complete, place the Heat n’ Bond onto the wrong side of the black fabric and iron for 2-5 seconds. Once cool, cut the letters out, peel off the sticker one at a time and iron them onto the fabric flag.

Sew the finished front flags to the muslim backs right sides together. Sew the long sides of the triangle together, leaving the top edge open. Trim and turn right side out. fold the top edges in toward each other 1/4 inch, press flat. Fold edge down and sew a pocket for the hemp rope about 1/2 inch deep.

Finished Autumn Flag Banner

Before + After

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After many years on a sewing hiatus, I brought out my sewing machine and dusted it off to teach a little girl to sew. Within a few short months, she went from making pillows, to sewing her own clothes. It was not long before I realized her natural talent (and the spark it gave me to sew again myself), and created the lark + wren blog to showcase our work.

The below images are just a few of the “firsts”, sewing for kids, the beginning of a great new project: lark + wren